NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government is considering convening a special session of parliament to pass a $24 billion welfare scheme to give cheap food to hundreds of millions of people, if opposition parties agree to the proposal, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram's comments came after a cabinet meeting to discuss passing the plan by executive order.
There are deep divisions within the ruling Congress party and its allies over how to ratify the plan. Many lawmakers oppose using an executive order and want the measure passed in parliament.
(Reporting by Anurag Kotoky, editing by Ross Colvin)